A Million Dead Ends
by demonika
Summary: John is happily married. Raising his son Nathan in one of the finest styles in USA. One day this all changes. Something leads to going back. Someone visits him for a while. Someone with a little surprise of his own. A light Snocelot.
1. Chapter 1

A million dead ends

The cell phone started buzzing and he had to drop his pen to pick it up, "turn the volume down Nay!" He shouted before taking the call. There was a light sound of protest from the other room as the boy dropped his game console and got up to switch off the television.

"Yes Zero?" John took off his glasses tenderly and pinched the bridge of his nose, he was utterly exhausted.

"John, how`ve you been?" The man`s voice seemed a little out of ease as he spoke, "It has been a while."

"Well." He said shortly, "What`s the occasion?" His eyes strayed to the door of his study and he found his son standing there with a roguish look, throwing his ball in the air and catching it slowly as he watched his father talk on the phone. It was as though he was preparing himself for the strike.

"I was wondering if you could host a guest over dinner."

He looked down at his wrist watch; it was only a while before Eva called them down for the meal, "sure. Who?"

"Well John, the Soviet case has been reopened. The CIA needs the mission reports redone."

"Russia?" John was skeptic, "It has been seven years Zero. What could they possibly want?"

"I don`t know. It's classified." Zero paused and Snake heard the turning of a few pages on the other side.

"So what does it have to do with dinner?" John asked after a pause, giving Nathan a threatening look when he aimed the ball at him. The boy shrugged and went back to throwing and catching.

"Actually, John, he has to stay at your place for a while."

"What?" he placed his glasses on the table and asked a little too quickly, "Why? I mean who is coming?"

"You remember Major Adamska?"

"You can`t possibly expect me to remember each and every Russian soldier, can you?" The name did ring a bell somewhere but he wasn`t very interested to let the concentration of his mind wander back almost a decade just to consider some Soviet Major who had been left unkilled by him.

A sigh was heard, Zero was relieved, "That isn`t a problem. You`ll get along fine. The problem is that he`s flying here straight from the USSR and the states is an insecure place for him. You know, with the mission rewind, many would want to get information from him. Reveal him as your cousin or something, keep him safe. Just as soon as the mission reports are submitted he`ll leave your premises."

It seemed as though his head had started buzzing slightly, "I`ll arrange something. Now if you`ll excuse me, I need to inform my wife."

"Thank you." Zero said, "I knew I could count on you."

Snake clicked the phone off and raised his other hand just in time to catch the ball that Nathan had flipped towards him with all his might. It was aimed straight at his head; a quick snatch saved his skin and left the six year old groaning in defeat.

Getting up, he put on his glasses and walked towards the door. "Here," He thrust the ball in his son`s hands and ruffled his hair before walking towards the stairs. "you need to work on it Nay."

"no fair!" Nathan climbed down behind him, "How do you catch it without even looking?" Every time he aimed at his father, the ball would always land straight in his hands.

"Well," John fastened his pace, "it's just because I`m better than you." He jumped, skipping the last few steps and then turned around and caught his son in mid dive when he did the same. "In _every_ way." Nathan grumbled as John gave him a light swish before dropping him.

"would you stop rubbing it in the kid`s face John?" Eva shouted from the kitchen.

"I`m not a kid mum!" He stuck his tongue out at John before climbing the steps and halting at the one from which he had jumped earlier, "watch me." He gestured for John to step aside as he made an attempt to jump.

John took a step away from the stair case and crossed his arms, raising his eyebrows as he waited. "Quickly Tarzan, I don`t have all day."

Nathan took a deep breath, bent his knees, closed his eyes and pushed forward with all his strength. Just as he took off, he felt his stomach become light, he should have tried with a lower step first, he opened his eyes and watched the steps beneath him pass in slow motion. He thought he`d fall before reaching the ground but he was wrong at that account, gladly, but the relief was short lived because he felt his legs giving way on the prospect of the speed with which he was heading to the floor. Closing his eyes again, he prepared himself for a face hit. How much could it possibly hurt?

The surface on which his face hit was somewhat softer than the marble as their flooring, and the best part was that it grunted too. Nathan pulled his face up which was buried in his dad`s stomach and couldn`t help but feel a sudden rush of respect and wonder for the man, because he was standing just on the spot when he had last seen him and now he was there between him and the ground, saving him from a severely broken nose.

Hearing the loud thud Eva peeked out of the kitchen door and glared at the father and son who were lying in front of the stair case, "What are you doing?" She glared at Snake who just shrugged.

"Sunbathing." Nathan cut in quickly before she got angrier at John. Eva narrowed her eyes at her son and went back again.

"Good one." John got up into a sitting position and laughed, "sunbathing in the middle of the living room at night. Very mature."

"She knew I was joking." He picked himself up and dusted his pants before offering his small hand to his father, "Thanks for banking me."

"Who was banking?" John grabbed his hand and pulled himself up, "I tripped." He made it sound like he really regretted falling at such a good moment.

John then remembered telling Eva about their guest and walked into the kitchen, leaving Nathan there to wonder if his father had really tripped.

"Smells good. What are you making?"

Eva turned from the oven to look at him suspiciously, "Since when are you interested in what you eat?" She walked up to the sink and started preparing the dishes.

"I… uh…" He rubbed the back of his neck uneasily, "We are having a guest over at dinner."

She turned and walked up to him, "you know that your friends are always welcome."

"well, the deal is that I don`t know who`s coming. Some Russian Major." He furrowed his eyebrows in an attempt to remember the name then let it go, "Operation Snake Eater has been re opened."

"Why?"

"I don`t know, some CIA stuff. They say he needs protection and might have to stay for a while."

"Anything for the government." She said jokingly and stood up on her tip toes to kiss her husband. She pulled apart and adjusted his glasses, "That brings back nostalgia, doesn't it?" She let out a breath and smiled to herself.

"oh yeah." Snake nodded vaguely. He was still hooked up on remaking the mission reports, which would mean a hell lot of unwanted nostalgia, when the bell rang. "I`ll get it Nay." He said loudly.

"beat me to it Dad!" Nathan made a mad dash towards the door and Eva shook her head as the man in her arms did the same.

John grabbed the back of his shirt and hauled him to the sofa behind them, Nathan rumbled before himself up and running after him once again. The most he could do was lay down and hug his legs, he couldn`t possibly hold back his father, "I want to get the door dad!" He whined as John freed one of his legs and started dragging him along the rest of the way. The marble floors prevented him from getting scratched and he slid easily with his father. "In your dreams." John chuckled as he turned the knob.

"John Doe." He whispered to himself, looking down at the paper with the printed address and then up at the name plate on the door. Snake.

He placed his bag on the ground beside him and wondered what change might have happened to the soldier in the past seven years. He didn`t know how he would have taken the news of his arrival, they were never the best of friends. There was only one way to find out. Extending his hand, he pressed the door bell. Just a fraction later loud sounds started coming from inside, one of them was Snake`s and his heartbeat quickened at the prospect of that authoritative hoarse voice. There was an audible thud which made the grip at his left knee tighten in apprehension. "It's alright." He heaved a sigh and said quietly before pocketing both his hands and standing in a more shielding stance.

The door opened and his breath caught in his throat as he watched the same solid soldier standing there quite breathlessly, his hair all ruffled up and a thin frame of glasses loosely marking his handsome face. He lowered his eyes and raised his eyebrow at the young brunette who was clinging to Snake`s leg and biting into the fabric of his pants near the ankle. He had just the same careless look about him and the same unkempt hair. He felt a light shuffle behind him and shifted slightly as a reassurance that everything was fine.

Nathan tightened his grip and let out a loud 'argh' before digging his teeth into John`s leg. "owh Nay!" John tried to shrug him off before pulling the door open. All the fuss seemed to leave his mind for a moment when he looked out at the pale young blonde staring at him with a raised eyebrow. His eyebrows furrowed and his jaw dropped slightly at the sight of Ocelot. _He _was the major?

**A/N: **yeah so its a little different. Family stuff. Gosh! Snake and Ocelot with their children and all. I hope you like it. Thanks! Review!


	2. Chapter 2

**A child is child - The truth can be wild**

John followed his eyes as he looked down at his son with slight amusement and then up at him again, they stared at each other for a few moments. It seemed as though his voice had been trapped in his throat and he couldn`t utter a single word. He didn`t notice when his son got up from the floor, dusted his pants and extended his hand, "Hey there," He looked down and saw that Nathan`s hand wasn`t directed at Ocelot, it was aiming towards the small set of fingers hooked to Ocelot`s knees. Nathan craned his neck slightly to look behind Ocelot`s legs at the little girl hiding her face behind him.

Adam stepped aside to reveal his three year daughter, wearing a striped pink hood which was a little too big for her size, pulled over her head revealing two neat blond braids, holding a pink fluffy shoulder bag. She looked at Nathan`s hand with big scared eyes and then up at her father who nodded slowly. She then shook the hand slowly and looked up at Snake, smiling hesitantly at the way he was looking at her.

"Ocel…?" He asked skeptically and let out a breath he had been holding since he had set his eyes upon the little girl smiling at him.

"Major Adamska." Ocelot said steadily before putting forward his hand for Snake to shake. His voice seemed mature and somewhat more sensible than he had last heard it, 'till we meet again, John.'

Snake took his hand, in a feathery grip, still too shaken by hearing his voice after such a long time. He cursed himself for forgetting his name. It was unbelievable that Ocelot had a pretty little daughter and _he_ was here for helping him redo the mission reports. He cursed himself again, of course he would be helping him, who was the second most involved in operation Snake Eater?

Just as he was musing in the door way Eva`s voice called out from inside, "John, Nathan! Can`t you two get even a single do- you?"

She was holding a small plate in her hands which almost dropped to the floor when Nathan caught it, "and you have a- so cute!" She bent down and let out an excited breath as she patted the little girl`s cheeks, Ocelot looked down wearily as Snake and Nathan exchanged anxious glances and shrugged identically.

"mum," Nathan began, tugging at the back of her shirt, "shouldn`t we call them in?"

"sure." Eva got up and looked at Ocelot a little apologetically, "Please come in." She turned and walked back into the kitchen a little too hurriedly, turning back to look at them from her shoulder.

Snake looked down at the single hand bag and couldn`t help but ask, "you`ve travelled halfway across the world with a single handbag?"

"and her purse too." Nathan pointed out and John nudged him, "_what_? Isn`t it a purse?" He asked the girl.

She shook her head, "Its my school bag." She said in her soft innocent voice and John had a very strong urge to pick her up and cuddle her.

"you go to school?" Nathan asked as Ocelot picked up the hand bag he had placed down earlier. John and Nathan stepped aside to let them in, she was still holding on to her father`s legs but he seemed to be well accustomed to this habit of hers and walked completely at ease.

"no." She shook her head at Nathan as she walked, "But I will go to school when we go back home. Yes daddy?"

"of course." Ocelot said distractedly and looked up at Snake, "Where do I put this?"

"Wherever you like." He said, not looking him straight in the eyes. Ocelot nodded vaguely before placing the bag alongside a wall. He then looked at the little girl and asked softly, "do you want me to put your school bag down?" She shook her head.

Nathan crinkled his nose, "Daddy`s little girl." He whispered to John who smirked before leading the way towards their dining room. Nathan kept making disapproving faces at the way she was clinging on to Adam`s pants.

"isn`t it a pleasant surprise seeing you here." Eva smiled broadly as she placed the plates on the table, "What`s your name again?"

"Adamska." Ocelot said and pulled out a chair for his daughter so that she could climb up beside him while John and Nathan just stared at him open mouthed because it was only a second ago when John had pulled the chair from behind his son, almost making him fall.

"And yours?" Nathan looked at her and raised his eyebrows before settling himself in a chair between John and Eva, facing the two guests.

"Samantha." She answered coyly and started looking down at the empty plate in front of her.

"I`m Nathan." He said proudly and then turned to an amused Ocelot, "you know what, I`m gonna call you Adam, because you have a pretty large name," John eyed him from the side and tried to evaporate the slight tension by picking up a dish of roasted chicken and helping himself. "and you…" Nathan went on, pointing towards Samantha, "are going to be Sam." He then started laughing, "and that`s a boy`s name." John couldn`t help but grin lightly while Adam just raised his eyebrows.

Samantha smiled, "you can be Nay." She looked at her father for reassurance who passed a small smirk, "and that was my pony`s name back home."

"you had a pony?" Nathan laughed as he watched his mom fill out his plate for him and pass the dish to Adam who picked out a piece for himself and Sam and then placed it back. "I have a dog and his name is _Gunk_."

Sam`s jaw parted only slightly and her eyebrows rose disbelievingly before she picked up a knife and fork and looked down at her plate.

Nathan was skeptic, he looked to his side and saw John glancing at him with an uneasy look, they both had their food half way across their already mouths in bare hands while the two in front of them were taking small steady bites with cutlery, their eyes glued to their plates as they wiped their mouths after every two bites. John wiped his mouth off his sleeve, smirked at Nathan and then dug in again. Eva frowned up at him and turned back to eating in her old refined way again, how she wished her child would be just like the one sitting across the table.

"So…" Nathan tried again, "how do you know my father?"

"mission." Adam replied quietly, not looking up at him.

"ooh. I know all about his missions," He said excitedly and fought off Eva as she tried to clean his cheek with a napkin. "mum!" He said irritably, "which one?"

"Snake Eater." He stole a glance at John who was deliberately looking down at the neglected food.

"I don`t remember any Adam there," He furrowed his eyebrows in an attempt to remember, he looked up at his father for assistance but he was a little too engrossed in his own world, "well except for the one who never showed up with mum." Eva smiled and nodded when he looked at her.

"My code name was Ocelot."

"whoa!" Nathan got up from his chair and banged his hands on the table, Sam cringed and grabbed the side of Adam`s shirt from under the table, "You?" a broad grin spread across his face as his innocent eyes widened up, Ocelot couldn`t help but awe at the way he was so similar to his father, "man, you`re the coolest! Wow… I can`t believe it was you!"

"Nay…" John tried to interrupt bashfully.

"You have this…" the young boy gestured with his hands hysterically, "guns and awesome shooting…" He let out a breath and looked at the blonde who was smiling at him, this was the first time Ocelot had smiled so openly in ages and Snake felt a lot lighter. "and you and dad hated each other like hell and then you were on our side in the end, oof." It seemed as though a character from one of his stories had come to life, he looked at Eva who gave him an anxious glance, trying to indicate that he should stop.

Ocelot nodded lightly, unable to keep the sudden surge of warmth that was spreading across his whole body. Snake had told his son about him like he was some sort of hero. He looked at Snake and raised an eyebrow, the other avoided his eyes and pursed his lips.

"and… and then mum ran her motor bike on your _face_!" Nathan started laughing and Eva hit him on the head, giving Ocelot an apologetic look who made a disapproving sound at the gesture. "what mum?" Nathan rubbed his head, "and you and dad were so yaoi!" Snake hit him on that, followed by Eva. He rubbed both the sides of his head and smiled up at Ocelot who was looking up at him, dumbfounded. Apparently he didn`t understand Japanese.

_A/N: Well bleh! look at the name of the chapter! could i have been a LITTLE more lame? uff! sheesh. haha. i know this is a little predictable and lame and blah but please be kind and let me know what you think. Ocelot having a daughter just gives me a giddy little feeling in the stomach. I`d love some suggestions on how you want this to turn out. Love ya` all! ^_^_


	3. Chapter 3

"oh yeah?" Every pair of eyes turned to young Samantha, "Mr Snake and Volgin`s torture was so brave with the electricity." She told Nathan as if trying to tell him that her role model was better than his, "and he… he…" She looked at Ocelot again before continuing, "He said that daddy`s shooting was pretty good and he jumped off a _rocket_!" she beamed up at Snake who had his eyebrows raised, "you are so awesome and have pretty hair." Snake ran a hand through his hair uneasily and gave her a loving grin.

"it was a jet and yeah, the halo jump rocks." Nathan ignored her last sentence and let out an excited breath.

"look at the time," Eva cut in the conversation uneasily, "you must be jet lagged, please take your rest. We shall catch up in the morning."

Samantha got up from the chair, folded her napkin and then looked at her father for the lead. While Eva picked up the dishes, John and Nathan lead the way into the living room from where Adam grabbed his hand bag and then followed them up the stairs to their room.

"oh and while you`re here, you`re Eva`s brother." John pointed out, opening the door of their guest room. Adam stopped and looked at him for a fraction and nodded before passing him near the door frame and putting down the bag. John couldn`t miss the same pride around him as he took each step conceitedly. He looked back at Nathan who was watching the two newcomers with an odd interest, he took a step forward and rested his head on John`s side, "Why does he have to be mum`s bro dad?" He asked lazily, never taking his eyes off Adam as he pulled off Sam`s hood and picked her up to seat her on the edge of the bed where he bent down and took off her shoes. It was making John feel giddy, not being able to hold her when he wanted to so badly. She had this same air about her as the revolver, the same eyes and he didn`t know why the urge was so strong.

John ruffled Nathan`s hair lightly and gave him a side hug before stepping back, "I don`t know." He sighed, "If you need anything Adam…" He paused hesitantly, Ocelot glanced up at him with slight incredulity upon hearing his first name, "Nathan can get it for you."

"Sure." Nathan chirped in and Adam passed him an appreciative smile.

"good night." John said slowly and turned around to leave when he heard a small voice from behind, "can I call you Uncle John then?"

John closed his eyes for a moment but didn`t turn back, "sure kid." As he took another step he heard a small whisper, Sam was probably saying something to her father.

"John?" His feet stopped in his tracks, it felt as though they were glued to the ground and he couldn`t take a single step, not that he wanted to but being literally bound by a voice was something different. It was ironic how it sent the same tingly sensation down his spine when he heard his name in that accent.

"Yes?" He looked back at Ocelot who stood up and pocketed his hands before looking up at him with slightly undecided eyes. Snake raised his eyebrows at the way he was looking at him, slightly demanding yet hesitant at the same time.

"Can you…" Ocelot nodded his head in the direction of the girl who was looking at Snake with intent eyes, smiling modestly, mostly so that he would have to break the eye contact, "can you hug my daughter?"

John was incredulous. His eyebrows raised on their own accord when Ocelot met his eyes for a fraction purposefully, the glow within them completely evident as if he was aware of how much he had been wanting to do that. He turned around fully and watched as Ocelot avoided his eyes and slowly unzipped his own sweatshirt to take it off. He then looked at Samantha who was still looking at him in anticipation. Nathan let out a heavy breath and rolled his eyes, he wasn`t the cuddly type.

The air brought back so much nostalgia as he picked her up and pulled her to his chest; Ocelot bent down to undo his shoes just beside them. Samantha giggled and hooked her arms around his neck as John hugged her, swaying lightly, it seemed as though they knew each other for ages. He kissed her hair, unable to hold back from the scent that was so much like her father`s. Ocelot seemed to be paying the least bit attention as he crossed the room to his bag which was placed near where Nathan was standing. He looked up at the boy who glanced back at him and grinned lightly before turning back to John again.

"what do you want?" John held her at an arms length and asked, "A bear or a jiggle?"

She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion while Nathan twittered in excitedly, "both dad, please give her both!" he jumped up and down.

"what`s that?" Adam took a step towards Nathan and asked slowly but he was too busy in the scene to notice him. So he just crossed his arms in front of his chest and leaned against the door frame, watching John`s glasses fall to the ground as he buried his face in Samantha`s stomach and tickled her with his nose, making her giggle feverishly. Ahead of him, young Nathan was just as excited, letting out snorts of laughter and it all left him smiling unintentionally. He didn`t know how long had it been since he had been this much amused in times, Samantha seemed to fit right in, it felt home. He watched as John bent down to pick up his glasses, still holding the little girl in his arms.

He pulled on his glasses and looked up to find Ocelot looking at him with an unreadable emotion in his eyes, a smile tugging at his lips. He then looked at his son and said, "That was the jiggle. Why don`t you come here and give us a bear yourself?"

Nathan hopped in Snake`s open arms and tried to wrap his small arms around the two, grunting in the effort. Sam giggled as John got up again, picking the two kids with him and hugged them both tightly before dropping them on the bed.

"you`re the _best_ hugger _ever_ dad!" Nathan said breathlessly, still lying on the bed.

"yeah." Samantha let out another nervous laugh, "thank you."

John nodded lightly and smirked before pretending to dust his clothes as he turned to the door where Ocelot was standing, so that he wouldn`t have to look at him. He then walked out calmly, the blonde`s eyes following him admirably.

AN: =/

er... ?


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